March Madness 2022 scores: UConn, NC State, Louisville and Michigan advance to women's Elite Eight

Hailey Van Lith Louisville Cardinals Women's Basketball
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And then there were eight. The 2022 Women's NCAA Tournament wrapped up the Sweet 16 round on Saturday with four more games. There were no upsets on Saturday, but things were still interesting as two of the contests were three-point games. 

South Carolina, Texas, Creighton and Stanford all earned their place on to the Elite Eight on Friday. No. 1 seed NC State was the first team to take care of business on Saturday in a tight game against No. 5 seed Notre Dame in the Bridgeport Region. No. 2 UConn had a good offensive day with a 17-point win over No. 3 Indiana. 

In the Wichita Region, No. 1 Louisville had an easier time in a double-digit win over No. 4 seed Tennessee behind yet another 20-point performance by Hailey Van Lith. In the last game of the Sweet 16, No. 10 South Dakota had a good opportunity at continuing its Cinderella run. However, the Coyotes finished the evening with a three point loss to No. 3 Michigan.

The March Madness has been in full effect in both the men's and women's tournaments this year with No. 15 seed Saint Peter's crashing the party in the men's draw, and No. 10 seed Creighton a game away from its first Final Four on the women's side.

2022 Women's NCAA Tournament TV schedule, scores

All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule

(1) NC State 66, (5) Notre Dame 63Bridgeport Region
(2) UConn 75, (3) Indiana 58Bridgeport Region
(1) Louisville 76, (4) Tennessee 64  
Wichita Region
(3) Michigan 52, (10) South Dakota 49 Wichita Region


Here's a quick recap of what ended up being epic day of basketball Saturday in Wichita and Bridgeport. 

  • No. 1 seed NC State is off to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1998 after a 7-0 run to close the game and complete a stunning comeback to knock out Notre Dame. Elisa Cunane posted 16 points and 10 rebounds and Kai Crutchfield scored 14 points to go along with four steals. Notre Dame blew a 10-point third quarter lead and got outscored 20-10 in the fourth quarter.
  • No. 2 seed UConn is heading to its 16th consecutive Elite Eight after taking down an experienced No. 3 seed Indiana. The Huskies shook off a subpar offensive performance in the second round to pick up a 17-point win over No. 3 seed Indiana in the Sweet 16. They had four starters score in double digits while the team as a whole shot at 46.3% from the field. Paige Bueckers and Christyn Williams led their offense with 15 points each. UConn is set to take on No. 1 seed NC State on Monday.
  • No. 1 seed Louisville earned a ticket to its fourth straight Elite Eight behind Hailey Van Lith's third consecutive 20-point game. The Cardinals got a 76-64 win over No. 4 Tennessee behind a solid defensive effort that included 11 steals and eight blocks. The Lady Volunteers gave up 21 points with their 18 turnovers. 
  • No. 10 seed South Dakota fought until the end, but No. 3 seed Michigan earned its first ever Elite Eight ticket with a 52-49 win behind a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds by senior forward Naz Hillmon. The Wolverines are taking on No. 1 seed Louisville on Monday night.
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Final: Michigan 52, South Dakota 49

The dance is over for No. 10 seed South Dakota, but the Coyotes made it an interesting game until the very end. Michigan guard Laila Phelia hit her first basket of the second half with 23 seconds left to give her team a two-point advantage. Chloe Lamb missed a jumper for South Dakota a few seconds later, which led to Max Hillmon getting an important defensive rebound for Michigan. The Coyotes were playing without Hannah Sjerven, who fouled out with just over two minutes remaining. She was leading her team's offense with 17 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting. Hillmon ended the game leading the winning offense with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. No. 3 seed Michigan is advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.

 
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End of 3rd period: Michigan 39, South Dakota 38

Michigan went on a 9-0 run in the middle of the third quarter, but the Coyotes stayed in the game. Freshman guard Kyah Watson made it a one-point game when she hit a jumper for South Dakota with a minute remaining on the clock. Michigan senior forward Naz Hillmon is leading all scorers with 15 points. 

 
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Halftime: Michigan 24, South Dakota 26

Michigan found its first lead of the game with 5:16 left in the second quarter. However, South Dakota did not slow down. Grace Larkins hit a three-pointer to give the Coyotes a 25-23 advantage with three minutes remaining. No more field goals made it into the basket for either team for the rest of the period, the other points came from the charity line. Michigan freshman guard Laila Phelia leads all scorers with 12 points. Senior center Hannah Sjerven is leading the Coyotes with 11 points.

 
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End of 1st quarter: South Dakota 11, Michigan 9

No. 3 seed Michigan started out slow offensively, but senior guard Leigha Brown hit two layups in the last 38 seconds to end the first quarter with some momentum. The  No. 10 Coyotes are outscoring the Wolverines 41.7% - 30.8% from the field. 

 
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Final: Louisville 76, Tennessee 64

Tennessee made it a two point game in the first 30 seconds of the last quarter, but this was the wake up call the Cardinals needed. The Louisville defense was solid, registered 11 steals and eight blocks throughout the game, while also taking advantage of Tennessee's 18 turnovers by converting them into 21 points. Hailey Van Lith led the winning team with 21 points -- her third straight 20-point game. Emily Engstler followed closely with 20 points. Tennessee saw a terrific performance from senior guard Rae Burrell with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field. 

 
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End of 3rd quarter: Louisville 55, Tennessee 50

Louisville was up by as many as 14 points, but Tennessee came out of halftime with something to prove. The Lady Volunteers made it a single-digit game with better shooting and sharing the ball more. Tennessee only had two assists in the first two periods, but got five in the third quarter. Rae Burrell, who is currently leading all scorers with 16 points, hit a three-point shot with nine seconds left on the clock to cut the Tennessee deficit to only five points. Louisville cannot relax right now, as three starters -- Cochran, Engstler and Smith -- are entering the last period with three fouls.

 
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Halftime: Louisville 39, Tennessee 28

Tennessee freshman forward Caroline Stripling made a jumper as the clock was running out to help her team enter halftime on a good note. However, the Louisville defense is holding the Lady Volunteers to under 30% shooting. Emily Engstler is leading the Cardinals offense with 12 points, which include three successful shots from beyond the arc. Louisville is shooting at 38.5% from three-point range, while Tennessee is trying to make some but is only 1-of-12 from there.

 
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